


Smokescreen

by Kialna



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Assassins & Hitmen, Conspiracy, Future, Mystery, Other, Spying, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:17:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kialna/pseuds/Kialna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khan Noonien Singh isn't the only one with a fake identity. He has been released by someone unknown, and expected Section 31 to hunt him down once they discovered he was missing. Instead, nothing happens, Khan wakes up more of his crew as time progresses and gets tipped to keep tabs on some mystery lady. This lady turns out to be a bigger mystery than he thought. Smokescreens aren't only used for 'killing machines' it seems...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Planning the return

**Author's Note:**

> A rough story. I'm trying to create a bigger plot and have a subplot, but I'm uncertain if I will get it going. At least I hope it will work. It's inspired by a twitter friend who wanted me to write about Khan, and the first thing I thought of was a piece of art I commissioned of Enerjax.

“Hmm...curious…” Khan hummed as he unfolded his hands under his chin and pressed the rewind button with his right hand. On the screen in front of him, a video started replaying when he pressed play again. A young lady, dressed in similar attire as himself, was seen fighting in the outskirts of London. Not just any fighting, but actually skilled fighting. After seeing the video another time, he leaned back in his chair and frowned. He was wondering whether or not to contact her. He decided to keep tabs on her. To him, it was uncertain whether or not she was a warrior, a vigliante, an anti-hero, or just someone defending herself. He was however flattered, as she obviously knew who he was. Wearing his clothes like it was a superhero suit. He chuckled in the empty room. He shut down the systems and turned off the lights. Then he said with his low-rolling voice “imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.” while he got up and left the room. Oh yes, he’d monitor her behaviour and find out who she was. 

It’d been 6 years since he got frozen for a second time after he had killed the starfleet Admiral. 6 years since he fought for his crew, thought they were dead but turned out to be alive after all. He had fought against Jim Kirk, and despite everything, the crew of the Enterprise had saved his crew. When he learnt that they were still alive he willingly stood his trial. Explained everything and got sentenced to be frozen again. Section 31 had been running rampant still and the Enterprise left on their 5 year mission. They were due to return soon. Oh what a shock they would feel when they learnt that he had been thawed once more. But this time he wasn’t thawed by a corrupt admiral. This time he got thawed by someone who kept his identity unknown. But Khan knew that only section 31 had access to the hangar. However, he never got to see the face of his defroster, as he had made his way out of the hangar before Khan could wake up. Khan did not risk to wake up his crew immediately but also didn’t want to wait too long. Otherwise they’d once more have the risk to end up being used as bait. A few weeks ago, he had awoken Joachim and asked him to join starfleet as a regular student. Joachim had been updating him of starfleet’s movements and the status of the fleet. Khan had been uncertain whether or not he’d visit Kirk once he’d returned. After all, he had massive respect for Kirk, even though his plans were foiled by the young captain. But recently, his plans got a little bit messed up after Joachim told him to look for someone named ‘Kialna’, located in London. 

His plans changed after finding nothing but that video he had been watching over and over again. This video was rough. It wasn’t meant to exist. Someone saw it and filmed it, uploaded it to the global cloud. To anyone other than him this was just a fight on the streets. But in his eyes, this was someone who obviously had a history in combat situations. The video is a mere 10 seconds. All you see is a whirl of a dark coat while she lands on top of a car, a dash forward and a double knockout in two seconds. She looks over her shoulder to the filmer and pulls her hood up more. Then the video stops. Who was this, and why did Joachim tell him about her. While he opened the door to the appartment building, he almost walked in to his neighbour.

“Evening, Mr Harrison” said Mr. Guiterrez.  
“Good evening” answered Khan.

José Guiterrez was a kind man living next to him in the appartment building. When Khan was brooding, he sometimes checked on him and gave him food. At first Khan was apprehensive but quickly noticed that the man was sincere and felt less tense around him these days. Khan still felt a bit scrutinised by ‘ordinary’ humans, but the time that he was persecuted and almost got killed by a man-made virus, only to target the genetically engineered kin like him, were gone. And since he was still not a wanted man, it seemed to him, that Section 31 either willingly let him go, or that they just didn’t notice. However, mister Guiterrez and his family had been kind, warm and nice to him. He had almost forgotten how good that felt. But as he now looked like a british man, the name ‘Khan Noonien Singh’ was a bit off. Thank god the nickname he had been given 6 years ago is ridiculously common. ‘John Harrison’ worked fine. All he needed to do was wipe the previous records of his ‘John Harrison’ and create a new one, with a new history. 

Guiterrez left the building, while Khan checked his mailbox. Nothing. He slowly walked up the flight of stairs, his coat trailing behind him. London was still London. But different. Khan really wanted to return home, but chances are that he’d be a victim of racism. The world has changed a lot in the past 300 years, but racism wasn’t one of them. Some places got more tolerant, others less tolerant. In the past, people tried to stop it, but it never works. Khan was guilty of it as well, but it has less to do with skin and more with mental capabilities. But if he wanted to remain under the radar, he’d do better in a place where he wouldn’t stick out. Besides, London was a big hub for Starfleet as well. When he entered his appartment, first thing he did was turn on the lights in the kitchen and check the fridge. He was perfectly able to cook, but he was tired, so he took one of mr Guiterrez’s containers with food. He opened the lid and smelled if it was still good to eat. His stomach was able to withstand a lot more in order to survive, but he wasn’t trying to survive. Food must be tasteful as well, if you’re not in a life or death situation. A nice smell of fried fish and rice entered his nose and heard his stomach rumble in response. 

“Hmm.. Paella it will be.”

He takes off the lid entirely, and puts the container in the microwave. While the paella is warming up, he turns on the television and gets rid of his clothes. They were nice, but uncomfortable at home. Returning to the living room in grey flannel pyjamas and a black bathrobe, he leans on the kitchen counter, counting down until the microwave tells him his food is ready. Just before the beep, he takes out the container, which is now steaming hot. Taking a fork from the drawer, he stirs the paella a bit and sits down on the couch. He always checks the news to see whether or not he’s a wanted man by now. Still nothing. He frowns. Why isn’t he wanted yet? He’s been free for more than 6 months now. He actually found a job in London, set Joachim free, Joachim even infiltrated Starfleet and not even a warning sign. For a while, he had the suspicion they were secretly spying on him and waiting to strike for the right time. But every time he gave them an opportunity, nothing happened. Something odd was going on and he couldn’t figure it out. Then Joachim spoke of the girl. It seemed random but maybe there was a connection.

The news didn’t cover anything in particular, but did mention the return of the Enterprise would be celebrated soon. Khan suddenly listened carefully.  
“The Enterprise will return from its 5 year mission next wednesday, and an official celebration and reception will be held on saturday. The party for the public is wednesday after arrival of the crew.”

Khan chewed on his fork. He’d probably be safer in the public party, as the official celebration will be invitation only. Bzzzt. His phone buzzed. Communicators were only for the people of starfleet. The normal public still had phones. Khan had seen the evolution of the cellphone to the smartphone. They didn’t change all that much in 300 years. Except they had a holographic option and were generally either transparent or if you wanted, in black or white. He read the text message he just received.

“You going?”

It was Joachim.

“Maybe, I might be in a dangerous spot if I go to the official reception”  
“The reception is invitation only.”  
“As expected. Are you invited?”  
“No, only higher ranking officers are invited. I’m still in the academy.”  
“I see. I’ll meet you on wednesday morning in downtown San Fran.”  
“At the monument?”  
“Yes.”  
“Are you certain? They might recognise you, especially because you killed millions of people there.”  
“Don’t worry, I’ll have a disguise ready. I’m also not wanted, so people’s suspicions are not nearly as quickly aroused as they would be when they know a ‘killer’ is on the loose.”  
“If you say so. What time?”  
“10AM.”  
“Ok, I’ll see you there.”  
“Also, Joachim..”  
“Yes…?”  
“It’s time to wake up Otto.”  
“I don’t have a cloaking device.”  
“I’ll send it to you tomorrow morning.”  
“You still have the transwarp?”  
“No, I rebuilt it and refined it.”  
“Ok, then Otto will be awake by the time I see you.”  
“Yes, he will have to come as well, I have a mission for him.”  
“Alright.”

He put down the phone on the table and continued eating. He made a disgruntled face when he tasted that the temperature had went down drastically while he was texting with Joachim. It was still edible, so he munched on, but it wasn’t as tasteful as he had hoped. Checking the television channels to see if there was something interesting on, but it seemed not. he didn’t feel like going out, especially after he already was wearing his pyjamas. He took the remote control and switched to pc use. The screen immediately went to the OS and a holographic keyboard got projected near his hands. The technology of these days was incredible, compared to the 1970’s - 1990's. He decided to surf the net and read about this ‘Kialna’. Then he suddenly found something that made him chuckle.

Kialna didn’t exist. Not anymore. It used to be an artist, born in the 1990’s, died in 2083 of old age. So who-ever this girl was, was inspired by her. But why? Why would a fighter be inspired by an artist? Khan froze himself in 1998 and launched in to space to run from a fate that humanity had given him. He survived with his crew. But while he was drifting in space, this artist was growing and thriving, but no one of significance. He narrowed his eyes, reading about this woman. Then her paragraph about death made him perk up. She went missing, and assumed dead after she wasn’t seen for years. They found a body in her house in 2083 and the tissue left on the corpse matched hers, but neighbours and friends declared that the body looked nothing like her. It got very interesting there. He tried to find more information, but nothing was provided. He didn’t feel like digging in too much tonight, as he was tired, but his interest was piqued. He then looked up information about the return of the Enterprise and looked at possible locations. After a few hours of research, he decided he did enough and shut down the system in the living room, took the food container and put it down on the kitchen counter. Yawning, he went to the bedroom, using voice control to shut down any left over lights or electronic devices in the appartment, except the bedroom. He hung the bathrobe on a hook and shuffled in the bed. A sigh escaped him and then he fell asleep.


	2. Preparations begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for Dweo in beta-ing for me! It really helps to have someone proofread your drafts. Even though you write nicely, you will always miss certain things, certain spelling mistakes and grammar faults. Thank you so much for taking the time in reading the chapter and suggest changes!

Around 8 am, Khan woke up from his slumber and donned his bathrobe. He took the cloaking device he had been working on from his desk and put it on the table. He pointed the transwarp on the little egg-shaped cloaking device and energized. Seconds later, it’d arrive on Joachim’s desk. He dressed for work, which made him look like a regular office clerk. Although a bit ‘bigger’ than usual, but looks deceive. Even though he donned a black suit and tie, which had changed only very little from the 20th century, he didn’t work in an office. Instead, on the kitchen counter was a little pass, used to power one of the newest and most luxurious Audis of the moment.

The first time he drove a levitating vehicle had been six years ago. It was quite different from the cars back in the 20th century. There was no friction, and it was almost impossible to crash as most cars nowadays were powered by artificial intelligence. There were still some people who preferred to drive the vehicles themselves. Others couldn’t drive, but didn’t like the idea of computers driving them and had private drivers. Khan was one of those private drivers. More like a taxi driver, but for the higher classes, and not just for one fare. Sometimes he got hired for a week, other times a day, and some times a month. 

Khan was not really a morning person. But he did understand the necessity of a good breakfast, and so he made sure he had a good start of the day. He checked his schedule. He was expected at 10 am at the Ritz Hotel in Westminster. He smirked.

In 300 years, some things barely had changed. The Ritz Hotel was one of those things, still expensive, and still a classic. His client would go from the Ritz to a military base which also functioned as a launch hub for Star Fleet. His eyes narrowed as he read the name of the  base. It was risky, but he had to do it. Fortunately, he was free to leave once the man had left his car. As long as he returned at 6 pm to pick him up. He hummed a little, folded the schedule, and put it in the pocket of his jacket. When he brushed his teeth, he caught himself in the mirror and instantly clenched his jaws. He still had trouble seeing himself as the white man he was made into.

 “My face… it’s not me.”  
  
The anger rose and he breathed in deeply. 

“I killed you for what you did to me. And somehow it still isn’t enough!” he hissed.“I hate this body!” 

He wanted to punch the mirror, but stopped himself just in time. Once more, he breathed in and sighed. He may heal fast, but the blood on his clothes won’t disappear. It wouldn’t look very professional towards his client. Aggressively he spat out the remains of toothpaste and cleaned his face. With  a strong pace, he walked towards the door, snagged his coat and left his apartment. Taking the elevator to the car park below the streets, he calmed himself down. The sleek, black car unlocked and started levitating when Khan entered its 2m radius. 

“Morning, Mr. Harrison,” the car told him in a robotic female voice. 

It reminded him of a television series from his era. Most people didn’t get the name at all, but for him it was a memory that actually came to life. 

“Morning, Kitt. How are the roads?” Khan asked.  
  
“Initial scans show no weather effects. No rain and it’s a nice 18 degrees centigrade. There’s a traffic jam in the City, northbound, sir.” 

“I see. I need to go to the Ritz in Westminster, any obstacles?” 

“No, sir.” 

“Good, I’ll take it from here.” 

“Yes, sir, all systems manual?” 

“Let’s keep the HUD, climate control and radio in your hands. You never disappoint me.” 

“I’m a robot sir.” 

“That’s exactly why I like you,” said Khan with a smirk. 

He drove out of the car park, entering the roads of London. After a while, he stopped in front of the Ritz Hotel, London. Right on time as the clock just hit 9:50 am. He exited the car, took off his coat and put it, neatly folded, in the trunk. He walked around Kitt to check for scratches, but she’s all fine. Then he leant against the driver’s side put on a pair of shades, before he folded his arms and looked around. He instantly noticed the security guards and repressed the urge to figure out their weak spots. He’s here for a client, not to overwhelm the hotel and end up ruling the hotel for a mere hour before being taken to jail. He shook his head a little and looked at the entrance. 

After a few minutes, a slightly round man with a slim suitcase hobbled out of the entrance. Khan lifted an eyebrow at the bouncy man. He reminded him of a mad scientist with a love for food and too much energy. He wore a white silvery suit with a decorative hat. It was rather simple, yet expensive. If he hadn’t been such a round, crazy-uncle looking man, he may actually have looked formal and a tiny bit intimidating. Although he would’ve need some extra height for that. Khan was tall, but not extremely tall. This man however, barely reached his shoulders. Bristly moustache of white hair adorned his face. Khan noticed his mouth had been hanging open a bit from surprise. _“This is the...military and star base official?!”_ he thought. He quickly closed his mouth and rose to his feet. 

“Good morning, Sir,” said Khan, while he bowed lightly for his client. 

“Ah, jolly good morning to you too!” the man replied. 

Khan rolled his eyes behind his shades. _“Great. It IS one of those jolly uncle guys.”_ Khan took the suitcase, put it in the trunk as well, opened the door to his client and seated him in the black leather. Khan got in the car himself, and drove off.. 

“So, what’s your name?” the man asked. 

“Harrison.” 

“Is that your full name?” 

“No.” 

“What is your full name?” 

“John Harrison.” Khan grit his teeth a tiny bit. 

“Well hello, John, nice to meet you. My name is Harry. Harry Whitehall.” 

“...” 

“...ok, so you’re the silent type?” 

“Not necessarily Mr. Whitehall. I just prefer to keep it professional and formal.” 

“What is life without a little fun in it though?” 

“Dull. Although one’s definition of fun might vary,” Khan said with a sly undertone. 

“That is definitely true, my friend.” 

Khan ignored his last sentence entirely and concentrated on driving him to the military base. He felt the eyes of Mr. Whitehall in the back of his head. This man was one of the most chatty clients he had ever had. Most clients got in, got on their phones or communicators and started arranging their appointments. Sometimes Khan could eavesdrop and learn something, but this time he felt uncomfortably involved with his client. 

“Oh my, you’re definitely a silent one,” said Mr. Whitehall.  
  
Khan nodded. 

“Too bad. You look like a nice bloke. Fit too. Some of these private drivers look like thugs, you know. As if they come straight from jail, sometimes covered in tattoos. Ugh, they give me the shivers.”

Khan looked over his shoulder and faked a smile. 

“Yes, I imagine they are.” And he returned looking at the road. 

_“I only have millions of people on my name, was sentenced back in to cryosleep and killed a Starfleet Admiral, but no matter.”_ he thought. For some reason, that naivety made him chuckle internally. 

For the rest of the ride, the man miraculously shut up and looked out of the window. Khan turned the radio on and they drove towards the border of the city. After a while, the cranes, launch platforms, docks and runways showed up on the horizon. Shuttles took off and landed every once in a while, civilian aircrafts left in the other direction. The premises were locked down with a huge wall, several fences and barbed wire. In all those years, nothing had changed about military bases. The soldiers wore modern armour, the rifles were replaced with phasers and phaser-rifles. The surveillance was done with drones and holographic scans, rather than the video camera’s from the 20th century. But other than that, the structure was still the same. The procedures were still all about identification. He didn’t need to identify as he was merely the driver of his client. 

They entered the base after the huge set of doors opened and they drove on to the next gate and waited for the previous one to be closed. The car got searched while they waited Khan knew there was nothing suspicious in his car, so he leaned a little in his seat. He scouted ahead and noticed that in the event of using a client to break into the base in these kind of situations, they had been prepared. There was a sniper on top of one of the towers. No doubt there were several more ready. Normal people wouldn’t have noticed, but even Khan, as an augment, would not survive two sniper shots through the head. He drove on when the gate opened and started a large turn and stopped half-way through to let out his client. Mr. Whitehall got out of the car, took his suitcase and was  escorted inside. Khan started driving again and left the base a few minutes later. He drove straight to the library and looked up anything he could find on Mr. Whitehall. It turned out not to be too significant. He then searched for the military base. The only notable thing was that Starfleet used it as a hub to send shuttles to starships and it used to hold nuclear warheads; they were disposed of by now. 

Khan sighed, left the library, to get some  lunch and texted Joachim as he sat down. 

“Did you receive the cloaking device?” 

“Yes.” 

“Is Otto awake?” Khan asked.

“He’s awake, but not functional yet.” 

“Does section 31 patrol the hangar?” Khan frowned.

“It seems they don’t really do. We didn’t have any trouble.”

“Strange. You’d think they’d check on us.” 

“Yes, unless it’s a plan.” 

“I know. It makes me feel a bit apprehensive about everything.” 

“I know what you mean. It’s too easy.” 

“Exactly.” 

Khan looked around. People were eating, laughing, talking to each other. These days aliens were just as widespread as humans, but none of them paid him any attention. He returned to the conversation on his phone. Joachim had replied. 

“I’ve been looking around, it turns out that Section 31 is not checking on us, but only guards the doors. They never took into account that we used transwarp to get out of the hangar. If they figure out that three of the 73 cryotubes are empty, they will certainly pursue us.” 

“Maybe. I still don’t know who awakened me. If it was section 31, they may just have planned it all and let us go. However, if it wasn’t, we would be prey very quickly.” 

“Let’s not take any risks.”

“No. Let’s not. Take care of Otto, he should be in top condition when we meet.” 

“Yes, sir.” And with that, Joachim went offline. 

Khan laid down his phone on the table and ate the rest of his lunch. He decided to return home for the remaining hours and work on the new weaponry he designed, most importantly, some under armour, flexible and light, but extremely hard and dense upon impact. This type of armour already existed in the 21st century, as he had found out, but he added some extra features and technological advancements. He might need it. He also started packing a bag with clothes and gadgets for his return to San Fransisco in a few days. Around half past four, he returned to the car and made his way to the military base. There, he had to wait for about half an hour before Mr. Whitehall came outside and took his place. He looked just as jolly as he was this morning and Khan sighed. But even Mr. Whitehall was a bit more tired after hours of work. 

“Good evening Mr. Harrison,” he said, tired but cheerfully. 

“Evening, Mr. Whitehall,” said Khan calmly. 

“You sound just as indifferent as this morning. Are you always like that?” 

“Yes.” 

“I see. I’ll leave you to it then.” 

Khan chuckled. Mr. Whitehall had learnt not to bore him with rambling. Khan turned the car away from the military base and drove him back into London. 

“Where to was it again? I have something on my schedule, but I’d like to be certain,” Khan asked. 

He knew perfectly well where Mr. Whitehall had to go, but more than once, these businessmen were talking in the back and asked half-way through to be dropped-off somewhere else. He loathed the last-minute changes. 

“London, St. Pancras International.”

“Alright.” And Khan set course for the train station. 

By the time Khan came home, the sky was already turning orange. Closing the door behind him, he entered his apartment with slight agitation. But he got paid generously and that softened the annoyance he endured day after day. Hanging his coat over a chair, he looked outside. Another day had passed and soon he’d see Joachim and Otto again, but not just them. Also the young captain. He grinned maliciously whenever he envisioned Captain Kirk’s horror in response of seeing him again. 

In the still-sunlit apartment, he started cooking in the kitchen. Cooking a perfect meal, something that was a nice extra of being an augment. He took in the smells of every ingredient used. Tonight he’d not sit on the couch and wait for nothing. Instead, he’d actively search for news. 

Khan stared at the screen, furrowed brows and clenched jaw. Nothing. It was as if no one cared that by now, there were three augments free. There was no news at all. It frustrated him to no end that he just didn’t know whether he was searched for or not. A thought crossed his mind. What if they found Joachim? What if they caught them? Then he remembered they had spoken that day. Aggressively, he threw his plate on the kitchen counter and stomped towards the window. He could see the sun set and breathed in through his nose. He touched the cold glass with his hand and forehead.  
  
 _“I need to calm down… but I can’t let down my guard.”_ For he knew he couldn’t mess up the coming days. It could mean the end of everything. He closed his eyes and his hand slipped down slowly, leaving finger trails, but he didn’t care much. All he cared about was safekeeping Joachim, Otto and the rest of his crew. The sky turned darker and Khan turned away from the window.


	3. Greetings with tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Khan, Otto and Joachim have come up with a plan to confront Captain Kirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for Anna Dweo for beta-ing me! :)

The sound of quick footsteps echoed in an alley in the city of San Francisco. A flapping coat around a corner, disappearing within seconds. In a dead-end alley, two others were waiting. They were all clad in dark coats and hoods. Whispers echoed around the buildings, making their words undetectable. The latest arrival got a weapon handed by the others. Hiding it underneath the dark coat, the figure was now armed. Suddenly they moved in different directions, but they all climbed. The alley was just as empty as it had been five minutes earlier. Seconds later, a team of policemen looked around. They shrugged and moved back.

“Probably false alarm,” one said.  
They left the scene again, but the hooded figures never returned to the alley. Instead, they had gathered on the roof of a building, a few blocks away.  
“What gave us away?” hissed one of them.  
“People call for everything nowadays."  
“I don’t care, we nearly got compromised!”  
“What do you want me to do?”  
“Nothing, let’s keep it down and choose different ways of meeting next time.”  
“We’re glad you made it.”  
“I told you I’d be here. So here I am. Transwarp beaming devices make travel so much easier.”And he took off his hood.

He looked at the others. Bright teal eyes piercing through the shadows of their hoods. Then they took off their hoods as well. A slightly taller man with short blonde curls and a side-parting and hazel eyes appeared. The other was a slightly shorter and sturdier built man, a brunette with dark brown eyes. 

“Nice to see you Joachim,” said Khan to the blonde.  
“Nice to see you too, sir," he answered, and he gave a slight nod.  
“How are you feeling Otto?" asked Khan.  
The brunette gave a nod as well. “I feel great. It’s been quite the sleep, sir."  
“Good."  
“The Enterprise has docked by now. The announcement should follow within five minutes." Said Joachim while checking his watch. “My communicator should go off soon."

Khan looked towards Starfleet headquarters. The building still stood, untouched after his rampage of six years ago. He could see the celebratory decorations down the street towards the entrance, including a white carpet and a stage. He then looked at Joachim.

“Then this means this is our goodbye until the crew has landed. You have to go.”

The communicator beeped and Joachim checked the message. He then looked at Khan and nodded. He then put on his hood again and ran towards the edge of the roof, before jumping down onto the street. He dumped the coat in the trash and his Starfleet uniform became visible. Khan and Otto saw him disappear in the crowded streets. No one roused any suspicion and soon, Joachim was nowhere to be found within the masses.

“He’s safe," said Khan. “Time for us to move. Sky patrol will start circling the area soon.”

They too dropped down to street level but kept their coats. Before stepping onto the main road again, they took off their hoods.

“Are we going on the offensive?" Asked Otto.  
“No, but I need you two to keep an eye out for my safety while I visit my old friend."  
“I assume he’s not actually a friend”

Khan chuckled.

“No not really. But I might need him, even though the thought in itself disgusts me."  
“Might?"  
“Yes, might. Maybe he’s useless. But if we’re not careful, I might be taken into custody again, which is why I need you two to keep an eye on the situation."  
“Understood."  
“You’ll be in the civilian crowd, watching the stage. Joachim will be in the Starfleet crowd right in front of the stage. I’ll be sneaking my way around the building to get to the left side of the stage. I will not enter the stage, but I will watch. After the speech is done, I will be sneaking inside and wait near the lift. I suspect Captain Kirk and his first officer Mr. Spock will go to the same room as six years ago when I attacked it. Joachim will be entering the building with the Starfleet crowd and will be following us to the top of the building. He will, however, stay one level below us. You will prepare a vehicle for us, as low key as possible. A car will do. Try to keep it down and unsuspecting. We can not afford to be compromised!"  
“Yes sir, how long will it take?"  
“Approximately two hours from start to finish. If we’re not outside by two hours, we’ve been compromised and you are to leave the perimeter. Then try to think of a low-key way to break us free, wake up others in case you have to” said Khan sternly.  
“Do not blindly go in and charge at them. No matter how superior we are, they outnumber us with thousands," said Khan.

The two made their way to Starfleet headquarters as civilians. They spotted Joachim in the ranks of the Starfleet officers. After a while, the first shuttle landed at the end of the white carpet. Starfleet officers of all ranks walked down the carpet, only to take their places in the empty seats on the left side of the stage. Slowly the area got filled up and eventually the last shuttle arrived. Khan and Otto looked as Marcus, Uhura, Bones, Scotty, Chekov, Sulu, Spock and at last but not at least, Kirk stepped outside. 

“This is my cue." whispered Khan, and he moved out. Otto watched Khan move through the crowd silently towards the left. Then he looked back at the white carpet. The Starfleet explorers were received as heroes by the civilians. The Starfleet officers near the stage all stood up and saluted, while the main crew made its way towards the stage. The ceremony lasted for about an hour before the final speech was made. Khan waited until people started moving inside and joined the crowd to get inside the building. He quickly went to one of the less-used lifts and went to the room where he attacked the top of Starfleet officers six years ago. It was silent and empty, sun shining through the glass. He walked around in the empty room, his steps echoing. After a few minutes he heard people arriving on the floor. He made his way to the side of the room and waited in the shadows.

“I told you it’d be fine, Spock, see? They loved it! We are heroes, man!”  
“Yes, Captain. It appears we are. If you will excuse me, I have to hand over the reports.”  
“No problem Spock, I’m having a meeting with the admiral in a few, I will see you later.”

Spock turned around and left the room. Finally he had Kirk all to himself. 

“Welcome home, captain." He said softly.

Kirk jumped up and looked in Khan’s direction. As Khan stepped out into the light, Kirk wanted to reach for his phaser.

“It’s no use Kirk. Your phaser is still inside the ship and I’m here without any evil intentions."  
“How did you escape?"!  
“That remains a mystery to us both then. I had hoped you knew."  
“What do you mean?" Kirk frowned.

Khan came closer and circled around Kirk.

“What I mean is, that for some reason, I was woken up. Section 31 hasn’t reached out to me, so it’s not another ploy for me to design their weapons. I had hoped you would give me a lead. Turns out you don’t know. Shame."  
“But you are supposed to be frozen. You’re supposed to be guarded heavily!"  
“Yes. Yet I am here, before you."  
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t call the security and have you locked up again?" Kirk said aggressively.  
“I will give you none. You have all the reasons to do so."  
“Then why are you exposing yourself to me?"  
“To let you know that I’m out and about. I have been for a few years now. And look around you. Everything is still intact. I’m not the destructive mastermind they made you believe I was. Yes I ruled a large part of the world. Yes I was considered a tyrant. But I was good to my people. What happened six years ago was not my fault. I did what I had to do."  
“Yet you have no remorse for killing innocent people."  
“Collateral damage is unavoidable mister Kirk."

Kirk clenched his fists and bit his teeth. 

“I still don’t understand why you’re here, showing yourself to me. I could have you taken away instantly."  
“Yet you don’t. It seems you appreciate my vulnerability." Khan smirked.  
“I just don’t get it."  
“Well then, it’s time I should leave then. I don’t fancy being seen by an admiral. I trust you Kirk, in a strange way. You dared to backstab me. I can appreciate such things. You’ve got guts.” 

Kirk stared in silence at Khan. 

“A...are you allying with me?” Kirk stammered.  
“In a way, yes.” Khan looked in Kirks eyes with a glint of triumph. 

He had him under his control. Even if Kirk were to turn around and get security, by the time they’d arrive, he’d be gone. He even had the transwarp beaming device with him for extreme problems. But it went rather smoothly. Khan turned around and walked towards the door. Before he stepped through he looked over his shoulder to see Kirk stare at him in shock.

“Oh and another thing… You might want to look at the name “Kialna." Artist from the 21th century, but the name has resurfaced, you might want to check it out."

And he left the room, went to the lift and couldn’t help but feel his heart beat faster in anticipation. Maybe they were waiting for him after all. When he arrived at the ground floor, there was no one waiting for him, everyone was buzzing around, doing what they should be doing. He left out a sigh and walked towards the exit. The glass doors opened before him and he walked into the little park in front of the headquarters of Starfleet. He made his way to the rendezvous point where Otto would wait with the car. He turned around the corner and saw Otto leaning against a silver car. It wasn’t the sleekest model, but a nice inconspicuous, simple car. Otto looked at the time.

“You’re right on time, maybe a little early."  
“It went smooth. Maybe a little too smooth. Let’s not celebrate our win just yet."  
“How did he respond?"  
“Shocked. A little surprised as well. But not extremely hostile."  
“Did he know anything?”

Khan frowned and pursed his lips a little.

“No unfortunately not. It seems the mystery is not solved this easily."  
“I see. Where’s Joachim?” Otto asked.  
“He should arrive soon. He must have heard the lift. The time is also running out. I do not fancy going in again to get him."  
“Do they know Joachim is one of us?"

Khan suddenly felt something that resembled a shock. _'What if they caught Joachim? What if they found out he was part of my crew?'_ Khan shook his head. 

“No, they shouldn’t know. They can’t," Khan said a little uncertain.

Their worries ended the moment Joachim appeared around the corner.

“Sorry I’m a little late. I had to grab the coat from the trash. They won’t like it if they find a Starfleet uniformed man next to an enemy of Starfleet and get into the same car as him."

Khan scoffed.

“Good job, now let’s go. We don’t want to get compromised on the last moment."

They quickly get in the car and move away. In the car no word was spoken and Khan just stared out of the window. San Francisco had been rebuilt very nicely. He knew it was partly his fault that the city had to be rebuilt, but the other part of him was proud, for the city now looked even better than before. Sometimes things have to be destroyed to become something more beautiful in the end. That is one part of life that hadn’t changed since the beginnings of humanity. They arrived near Joachim’s flat and left the car behind. The three of them made their way to the complex and once inside Joachim’s flat, they all had a moment of silence. A different silence than the one in the car. A silence of safety.

“Well, we made it," Khan sighed.

He closed his eyes and let himself relax a little. 

“Yeah, but I can’t help but feel like we’ve not moved an inch forward,” said Otto.  
“I get that, we still don’t know anything. Unless Kirk said something interesting?" 

Khan shook his head.

“Kirk knows nothing. But we have moved a bit forward. Kirk didn’t call security, even when he had enough time to do so. We weren’t chased, we weren’t caught. He let us go. Or at least, he let me go. I told him I trust him. I wonder if that’s what keeps him from catching us."  
“Do you trust him?" Asked Otto.  
“Yes. In a weird way. Six years ago we worked together as well, even if it was forced. He kept his word and did what he had to do. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have trusted me either, if I were Kirk. Other than that, I respect him. He could’ve sat in the chair all day and let simple security officers do the dirty work. Instead, he was the one leading the landing party to catch me. How many captains do that? How many captains make their hands dirty?"  
“Almost none.”  
“Exactly. Which is why Kirk is interesting enough for me to approach him. He’s different. He asked me if I was allying with him. I told him I was.”

Joachim and Otto stared at Khan.

“Do you think he will aid us?" Asked Joachim.  
“Maybe, but I think we will aid him more. I wonder how quickly he finds the means to contact me. Maybe he never will. But his curiosity will make him look for a reason why we’re running free."

Joachim and Otto frowned. Khan sighed again. 

“Before we start talking in circles, we should get ourselves something to eat and some time to relax before we get back to our stations."  
“Good idea, I’m quite hungry." Said Otto.  
“Yes. But does that mean you’re going back to London tonight?" Asked Joachim.

Khan nodded.

“No point in hanging around for me. The sooner I’m out of San Francisco, the better. If Kirk did talk, Starfleet will be looking for me." 

They all nodded. Joachim left the flat to get food, while Khan and Otto prepared the table for dinner. They then sat down and watched the news. A recap of the ceremony was shown, complete with arrival speech and shots of the cadets. No word about Khan. When the news was over, Khan felt his body relax. _'So you didn’t say anything after all… good.'_ he thought.

At the end of the evening, Joachim and Otto said goodbye to Khan and said to keep contact for a while. For now, they had no plans other than doing research and find out why Khan was woken up. Khan transported himself to London and Otto and Joachim cleaned up the flat. When Khan arrived back in his flat in London, it was still dark, but it already had the atmosphere of the early morning. He instantly went to bed to catch some sleep before the sun would make it nearly impossible for him to sleep properly.


End file.
